Wednesday, January 28, 2009

ALDI Statement Regarding Peanut Butter Products Recall

ALDI has two suppliers who manufacture the Cambridge cheese crackers with peanut butter, one of which is Kellogg's. As a precautionary measure, as of Jan. 15 ALDI and Kellogg's voluntarily recalled the Kellogg-produced peanut butter crackers due to industry reports of salmonella at affiliated plants, though no illnesses have been reported regarding these Kellogg-manufactured products. The second manufacturer of our cheese crackers with peanut butter does not use the peanut plant where the salmonella outbreak was reported. However, as a further precautionary measure, as of Jan.20 ALDI has recalled the additional Cambridge cheese crackers with peanut butter as well as our Grandessa peanut butter cookies.

To tell the difference between the two manufacturers of Cambridge cheese crackers with peanut butter, customers should look at the net weight on the front of the package of crackers. A net weight of 7.44 oz (210 grams) was produced by Kellogg's while a net weight of 7 1/3 oz (208 grams) was produced by our second manufacturer.

All other ALDI peanut products or products that contain peanuts or a peanut paste have not been the subject of concern regarding potential salmonella poisoning.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged to return them, regardless of the manufacturer, to receive a refund. ALDI Consumer Affairs may be reached at 630-761-2740.